Midnight
by Rexpennae Kansas
Summary: After Eclipse and the fatal choice of Bella, time grows short, the Volturi are impatient, and the wolves are on edge, everything leads up to the changing, but will it be as magical as Bella hoped? Bella POV.
1. Chapter 1

Preface

It wasn't as wonderful as I had wanted it to be, or as smooth as Edward had wanted, but it was happening. Edward picked himself off the ground and crawled to where I was huddled against a tree. My heart leapt as he lowered his mouth to my ankle, and gently raked it with his teeth. I felt the fire running ever so slowly up my leg, and I looked at Edward, but he was gone, and in his place was the glowering adversary.

Edward managed to stand, "Run Bella…"

1. Consequences

"Charlie's got something to tell you." Edward told me.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, he's not thinking about it. He's just reminding himself that he needs to tell you something."

"Great." I said, obviously annoyed.

"Bella," he said, leaning forward to kiss me, "It's OK, he's not mad, I'll wait for you in your room."

I got out of my truck without saying anything, and walked up to the door. There was Charlie, watching some game, I didn't bother seeing what it was as I walked up to my room.

"Oh, Bella," Charlie called from the couch, "Billy called, he wants to talk to you."

"Okay." I called back as I went to the phone.

"He said they've been having trouble with the phone for the last couple of days, so you ought to go down there."

"Now?" I asked, glancing at the clock, 9:30.

"You don't have to go now." He replied, although I could tell he wanted me to go now, "But Billy seemed kind of concerned on the phone earlier."

I thought for a moment, why would Billy want to talk to me so urgently, and so late, "I'll be going in few minutes."

"Alright, Bella, see you when you get back."

I ran up the stairs to my room, and there was Edward, sitting on my bed.

"Go." He said as I walked in.

"What?" I asked without thinking, and then I remembered, Edward couldn't hear my thoughts, but he could hear Charlie's, and they were usually what he was thinking.

"Go to La Push, Billy sounded like he really needed to talk to you." Edward restated, and thought for a moment, "Charlie has a good memory."

"Oh." I replied, "Are you sure you _want_ me to go over there?"

"It'd be better if you did, Bella."

"What did you do, Edward?"

He hesitated for a moment, drawing in a breath and letting it out before answering, "You'll find out, just go."

I was too angry to listen to him, "No!" I almost shouted.

"Bella?" Charlie shouted, he had heard me, "Is everything OK?"

"Yes, Dad, I just dropped my bracelet." I waited, his silence told me he believed my excuse, and I turned back to Edward, whispering, "You tell me what you did!"

"No." he replied, "Billy will be less evasive about it, and I won't tell you the whole truth, you know that quite well."

I did know that well, Edward never really told me all of anything if he thought it would be uncomfortable to me. I exhaled rather slow, a sigh really, and walked out of the room.

"Bye, Dad." I shouted to Charlie as I walked out the door to my truck. I was little surprised to find Edward in the passenger seat.

"Get out." I told him, "I'm only going to pester you all the way to the boundary line."

Edward stepped out of the truck, I started it up and started over to La Push, only to see Edward running alongside, grinning the whole time. I tried, and failed, to ignore him until we got to the boundary, where he could go no further.

Jake didn't meet me at the boundary like usual, but then again, Jake didn't know I was coming.

I pulled up in front of Billy's house and got out of my truck, I wasn't sure if he was awake or not, so I went to the door.

"Come in, Bella." Billy beckoned from inside as I raised my hand to knock.

I Opened the door and stepped in, to a seemingly empty room. I spotted Billy sitting behind a half splintered table covered in some papers.

"Where's Jacob?" I asked.

"Have a seat, Bella."

I sat down opposite Billy, on the splintered side of the table.

"Jacob's not here." He continued.

"So, Billy, Charlie said you were pretty distressed when you called." I said.

"I guess, Jacob's gone, Bella."

It was only then that I realized what he meant, and the paper on the table started to look familiar. I picked up the envelope and opened it, to my horror it was a wedding invitation, to my wedding.

I gave a shuddered exhale, "What happened?" I asked, breathlessly whispering.

"He read a special note in the invitation." Billy pointed to the table where I was sitting, "And ran off."

I stood up, suddenly afraid.

"Sit down." Billy commanded, "Your vampire is in no trouble. Sam came by and said that Jacob ran away, far away, he will not be around to harm the Cullens anytime soon."

"I'm so sorry." I cried, a tear rolling down my cheek.

Billy pulled himself around beside me and laid his arm across my shoulders, "Bella, it was a long time in coming, you must know. It was your choice, and you have to live with the consequences, but just know I'm not holding it against you."

That was all I heard, I was vaguely aware of the slamming of my truck door, but I remembered nothing until Edward was sitting next to me.

"Pull over." He commanded, in his velvety voice.

I obeyed without thinking, and he came around, opened my door, and scooped me into his powerful, cold arms. He set me down in the passenger seat, and buckled me in before shutting my door and whipping around to the drivers seat.

If I wasn't so out of it I could have screamed my voice away at him, and I could see he knew it. The rest of the ride home was silent, and when we arrived at home he lifted me out of the truck and carried me to the door. Charlie met us as we came in.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, obviously trying to restrain himself.

"She's in shock, Some of what Billy had to say, I think." Edward explained as he carried me to, and lay me down on the couch.

"Bella, can you hear me?" Charlie asked, concern dripping off his every word, this wasn't the first time he'd seen me like this.

"Yes, dad." I managed to whisper.

"What happened?" he asked, as Edward slipped out, much to Charlie's relief.

"Jake's gone," I croaked, "And it's my fault."


	2. Chapter 2

2. Rainbows

I woke up the next morning on the couch, Charlie had apparently thought me better where I was. I got up and looked around, Charlie was gone, and Edward was nowhere to be seen, good, I was still mad at him.

Jacob was gone, I mused over breakfast, but that was the well deserved consequence of my choice. I chose Edward, I couldn't live without him, but I loved Jacob, and he loved me back with a ferocious intensity to match his werewolf self.

And my wedding was a little over a week away, my fairytale wedding, thrown mainly for the benefit of my friends and family. After that was a new life, I would become a vampire, it would be hard but I thought I was ready.

Someone came knocking at the door, breaking my train of thoughts. I knocked over my chair as I stood up, running to the door.

"Feeling better?" Edward asked as I swung open the door.

"I was." came my acid response.

Edward faked a hurt look, "What did I do?"

"I don't know, what did you do?" I asked with a hard indignant tone.

Edward paused for a moment, and sighed, "Bella," he whispered, "I truly am sorry, I went against your wishes, but I had to. I could not withhold thanks from Jacob, he's done so much for me, and for you, it seemed like the right thing to do."

I stared at him, he had not dazzled me, at least not like usual.

"Bella, I would never do anything to hurt you, you should know that by now."

"I know," there was a dreamy sort of air to my voice, "I wanted to tell him too, but I was afraid. Thank you."

Edward pulled me into a hug, a long, tight, cold one, one I enjoyed while it lasted, not long enough.

"Come with me, I want to talk to you." He said, the velvet almost dripping from his voice.

I turned to get my shoes and keys, but I had not taken a step before two powerful arms scooped me up.

"Edward." I protested.

He just laughed at me, "You're not driving, not today." He said, and took off running.

My surroundings seemed to melt away, and all I could see were Edward's golden eyes smiling on me, but that was only when I opened my eyes. I had learned long before that the high speeds of Edward running never sat well with me, and I could combat the sickness by closing my eyes. I settled down in Edward's arms, and relaxed, I was completely safe here.

Edward set me down, and I opened my eyes, the meadow, our meadow. Edward sat down beside me on the cool grass, and took my hand in his. The sun broke out from the clouds, a very rare occurrence in Forks.

"Bella," Edward began, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"What?" I asked, somewhat surprised.

"Do you want to give up your soul for me?" he asked.

"Edward. I don't believe I lose my soul by becoming a Vampire."

"But there's always the chance, are you going to gamble that much for me?"

"You did." I said.

He stopped, he had not expected that, "When?"

"When you fought Victoria."

Edward turned over to me, "Bella," he said, "You are absurd."

"No, really," I protested, "You could have died for me, and lost your soul."

Edward rolled over onto his back and sighed, looking at the sky, "You're absolutely right. I won't question you like that again, if I'm willing to something I can't hold you back from doing the same thing."

I moved closer to him and laid my head against his chest. Hidden by the tall grass we lay, staring at the sky in silence, I savored the peace, the aloneness, the last weeks had been so very busy, preparing for my wedding. A week remained before I would be joined with Edward, for all of eternity.

The wind blew softly through the meadow, and in the breaking clouds a brilliant rainbow emerged, stretching as far as I could see. The colors were more vibrant than any rainbow I had ever seen before.

"Now that's a rainbow." Edward mused.

"Let's go find the pot of gold." I said, "It's got to be a big one, with so beautiful a rainbow."

Edward tossed my hair into my eyes, "Silly Bella," He said, "There's no pot of gold, I'm what's at the end of your rainbow."

"It's better than the gold." I said, and Edward laughed.

I walked in the front door of my house later that night, Charlie was sitting on the couch watching a game. He switched it off as I walked by.

"Bella, could you come talk with me for a bit."

I walked in and sat down.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm alright." I responded.

"I meant about Jake, you were really upset last night."

"Oh." I said, "I'm fine now, he was really upset that I'm marrying Edward, it's just a consequence of my choice, and I have to live with it."

Charlie nodded, and turned back to the blank TV, "I'm really going to miss you," he said, just as I was getting up to leave, "I love you, Bella."

I just sat there, staring at the floor, "I love you too, dad."

He stretched his arm around my shoulders, "Its been fun. Goodnight."

I stood up, and he turned his game back on. In my room Edward was waiting for me, I climbed into bed, and he came in after me.

"He really meant what he said." Edward told me.

"So did I."


End file.
